John Prescott: The punchy political powerhouse we knew

Former deputy prime minister John Prescott died yesterday at the age of 86. Often described as a ‘political bruiser’, Ed Balls and George Osborne remember Prescott differently: as a policy powerhouse and as a skilled negotiator between Blair and Brown. Does a comparable player exist in today’s Labour government? And, Ed recalls the moment he was involved in a car chase with ‘Two Jags’ himself.

With the assisted dying bill facing a second reading next week, the pair consider whether it will pass or be voted down. Is the issue set to be off the agenda for a generation, or could Starmer rescue the bill?

Plus: the Budget may not have fallen apart, but with Scottish Labour sending different messages, farmers (and Jeremy Clarkson) on the march and mortgage rates rising, we take a look at its political impact. Are any u-turns on the horizon?

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